


The Rise of Skywalker Epilogue Original Cut

by Petit_Fou



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ajan Kloss, Alternate Ending Star Wars, Alternate Ending The Rise of Skywalker, Ben Solo Lives, Ben and Rey with babies, F/M, Fluff, Force Ghost(s), Force Sensitive Orphans find a home, Happy Ending, No beta reader, Tatooine (Star Wars), the TROS ending we all deserved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:27:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23879128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petit_Fou/pseuds/Petit_Fou
Summary: I wrote in a “missing” scene on Ajan Kloss after the battle of Exegol in which we see Rey bring back Ben, one on Tatooine when she sees Luke and Leia, and a bonus End Credits scene. I know this is technically more of an alternate ending scenario, but in my head I’m pretending the scenes were edited out by J.J. Abrams because, based on the success of Reylo, they’re going to make another movie in which Rey retrieves Ben from the WBW, where he’s waiting for her (please studio gods let this be true 🙏).
Relationships: Ben Solo & Rey, Ben Solo and Rey - Relationship, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Reylo
Comments: 28
Kudos: 54
Collections: REYLO WEEK 2020





	1. Ajan Kloss

The chaos is deafening. Ships are landing wherever they can, people are pouring out of the base to meet them. The tiny moon base of the Resistance is flooded with the victors and survivors of the battle of Exegol. Joy and elation sweeps through the crowds followed by fear as names are desperately shouted into the din of celebration. Some of the joy is tempered by the pain of deep suffering. 

They’ve won, but at a cost. 

It would be hard but now the healing and rebuilding could begin. 

Finn and Poe have caught sight of the X-wing, they start heading over towards it, only to stop. They glance at each other, each mirroring the other’s confused expression.

Rey’s approaching them, but she’s not alone, she’s supporting a large figure dressed in black. They’re both bruised and battered, the man is leaning heavily on her and favoring one leg. 

Even without ever having seen his face, Finn and Poe immediately know who it is Rey is holding. 

Automatically, Finn and Poe reach for their blasters, but Rey looks up then. Her eyes are glassy with unshed tears and a shaky smile on her lips. 

She turns to speak to the figure who looks down at her. He nods and gently cups her chin before straightening to hold himself up. Rey takes a second to ensure that he’s alright, before she comes running up and nearly jumps into Finn and Poe’s arms. 

They have a thousand questions, but right now, those questions can wait. Tears are streaming down their faces as they heave in each other’s arms. It was done. They won. There are no words that can express what they’re feeling so they just hold each other.

Finally, after one last sob that’s also part laughter, they pull apart. They still hold on to one another, assuring one another that they’re solid and real. All around them, the sounds of celebration ring loud. A cacophony of whoops and yells and clapping echoing the feelings of happiness that are bubbling in their chests. 

Poe glances over Rey’s should then and says, “so what’s that all about?” He nods his head towards the hulking figure just behind Rey. His tone is light, but there’s a slight edge to it. 

Suddenly shy, Rey bites her lip then looks back over her shoulder at the man she brought back from Exegol. Finn and Poe notice how, once she looks at him she can’t hold back the smile that break across her face like a sun beam through clouds. 

The man she’s looking at has been watching, waiting for her signal. When she smiles at him, his solemn mask cracks and he answers hers with one of his own. It’s a soft, hesitating smile. As if he couldn’t believe he was the recipient of that ray of light.

“Wait here,” she tells them, not breaking her gaze. Then she’s gone over to him and his eyes never having left her. 

Finn and Poe have several seconds before Rey returns and as they watch the two something releases in them. Their hands drift down, away form their blasters. 

Even from where they stand, they can see how enraptured he is.

“What do you think?”

“Did you see the way she smiled at him?” 

Poe listens for any pinch of hurt, but he hears none. “I’ve been waiting for someone to smile like that at me for a long time.”

“I’m sure you’ve gotten plenty of those smiles, you’ve just never noticed,” chuckles Finn. He shoots a glance over at Poe who’s grinning in abashed agreement. 

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” he says. “So, what are we going to do about these two?” He nods his head towards the couple who are limping slowly towards them.

“Well, it’s a whole new galaxy now,” Finn says, as he considers the fate of the man who nearly killed him so many lifetimes ago. “I think we’ll have time to figure it out.”

“Yeah,” Poe says, nodding his head, “I like the sound of that. It’s a good start. I’m glad I named you my Co-General.” Poe grabs Finn by the shoulder and gives him a friendly shake. He really is glad he won’t have to go it alone. 

When Rey reaches them again, her eyes are sparkling and her cheeks are flushed, though whether it’s from carrying part of weight of the man beside her or because of his nearness, neither Finn nor Poe could say. 

What they do notice, is that there’s a similar coloring to the man’s cheeks, as well, which only deepens when Rey slips her hand into his.

She takes a deep breath, looks up at the man beside her, then to her friends and says, “Finn, Poe, this is Ben,” her smile is as bright as suns, “Ben Solo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just re-watched TROS and I realized that Rey comes back in an X-wing, not the Falcon as I previously wrote 😅 
> 
> Also, still can’t get over that ending. It will haunt me.


	2. Tatooine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession, I had a hard time figuring out why they would be back in Tatooine. But I finally came up with this version, which I hope fits in a way.

Compared to the furore on Ajan Kloss, the only sound at the abandoned moisture farm on Tatooine is the whisper of the wind as it moves dunes grain by grain. Tracks of creatures crisscross the sand, none of them human. The place has been untouched for decades.

On top of a fallen weather monitor, two Scurriers battle over an insect. A sudden gust of air and blast of engines sends them running.

A minor sandstorm kicks up as the spaceship lands. The boarding ramp is lowered and a pair of boots walks down followed by another, heavier, larger pair.

Rey and Ben step off the Millenium Falcon, into the bright light of twin suns, surveying the scene around them. It’s not what either expected. Rey beams as she shields her eyes, she never expected Luke’s childhood home to be so similar to her own. Ben’s expression is a little more guarded as he checks the surroundings. 

Behind them, a small spherical droid rolls follows them, issuing a series of confused beeps.

“No, we’re not back on Jakku,” Rey laughs as BB8 rolls up next to them. “This is Tatooine. This is where Luke Skywalker grew up.” She’s strangely nostalgic for a place she’s never been.

She glances at Ben, his jaw is clenched, but his expression softens as he looks down at her. Rey smiles back at him, reassuring him.

The farm is nearly submerged in sand, just the tips of the moisture vaporators inside are visible. Rey walks around the perimeter, peering down into the old homestead.

Ben’s eyes follow her. When she finds a piece of sheet metal, she grabs it, walking over to a small slope of sand that runs down into the living quarters, sets it down at the top, then sits on the makeshift sled. She scoots forwards and with a smile that never fails to earn one back from him, Rey waits for Ben.

Neither of them were children that got to play and though they’ve kissed, they still blush when they’re close enough to touch. 

Both their cheeks are dusky pink as they disappear down the dune, laughter echoing off the walls.

BB8 hesitates at the top, rolling back and forth as he decides whether or not to join them. Ben and Rey are sprawled out at the bottom having lost control of the sled and rolled down the rest of the way. Rey is laughing uncontrollably as Ben sits up and grins at her.

“Come on, BB8, it’s fun,” Rey calls.

The little droid rolls back a few inches then launches himself down the slope, as he picks up speed he squeals in delight, rushing past Rey and Ben. 

They dust themselves off and explore the old Lars homestead. Ben and Rey both looking for and finding something different in the experience.

Rey has never been in someone’s home before. Even though it’s been ransacked, she can feel the love that went into the place as she runs her hands over the worn surfaces.

Ben is haunted. His uncle never spoke about his childhood home. It was so different from his own upbringing, from his mother’s. He tires to see the boy in the man. He tries to understand.

It’s already late in the day when they climb back out. The twin suns have started to set, saturating the sky with oranges, reds and purples. The creatures of the desert are beginning to pop their heads out of their burrows, curious about the invaders in their home. 

Before they go back to the Falcon, Ben takes the two light sabers attached to his belt and holds them in his hands. The one in his right, the long coveted saber of his grandfather, the one in his left, the one his mother used to train and the one she gave up in order to save him*. 

He holds them a moment before laying them both on a leather case in the sand. This is where the Skywalker legacy belongs. As he begins to enfold the sabers, a hand covers his own. 

Ben looks up into the eyes of his mother. Shock paralyzes him where he crouches. His gaze averts as she brings him to stand, his hand in hers. He’s so much taller than she, but he hangs his head in her presence. 

Her other hand comes up to cup his face the way his father had. Her son swallows the lump of emotion that’s caught in his throat, finally meeting her eyes. “Ben,” she says. It’s all she needs to say.

When she steps back, Ben sees that his uncle is there, too. He nods to his nephew. 

Luke and Leia hold out their hands then and the sabers rise. They disassemble, revealing the kyber crystals within, then reassemble, leaving the crystals hanging in the air, and descend deep into the ground. 

The past is finally laid to rest. 

What lies ahead is the promise of different future. 

Taking the crystals in his hand, Luke approaches his nephew. Their relationship had been fraught with tension and there’s still so much they have to forgive each other, but Luke takes his nephew’s hand and places the crystals into his palm, closing his fingers around them. 

He smiles at Ben, that familiar sardonic half-smile and winks at Rey, his sharp blue eyes twinkling. 

Their fight is just beginning, they’ll need all the help they can get. 

Then he steps back to join his sister, and the twins watch as their heirs return to a new galaxy, one they gave their lives to create. 

Aboard the Falcon, Ben and Rey are prepping to jump to hyperspace. He looks over at her, the light of the controls flashing off one of the kyber crystals Luke gave him slung around her neck. It’s companion hangs around his own.

His waits for her signal.

She takes one last look at Tatooine. Then turns to him.

“Punch it,” she says. 

Smiling, he does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Leia didn’t complete her Jedi training because she saw that it would lead to the death of her son. She gave her lightsaber to Luke for safekeeping. And if Carrie Fisher had lived to finish filming, I speculate that they may have intended for her to give up her life to bring Ben back on Exegol, rather than reach out to him on Kef Bir. Maybe there was a scene in the Netherworld where they meet briefly and he gets to apologize before she sends him back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> END CREDITS SCENE because I needed more fluff to cushion these trying times.

🌞🌞🌞

**_Several years later_ **

A warm breeze rolls over a large blue lake that ascends into tiered fields and a grassy knoll dotted with grey-blue stones. At the top of the small hill rests a compound built from the same stones. In the middle of the compound, rising high above the rest of the buildings, a domed structure with a large hole and scortch marks is being rebuilt. 

It’s the last thing that’s left to restore. Everything else, the students dormitories, the sparring field, the mess hall, the classrooms, have all been finished. 

The sounds of construction are punctured by trilling laughter. Across the wide lawn, near one of the smaller buildings that lie outside the compound, two dark-haired children chase each other under the watchful eyes of their mother. 

They tumble and roll, the sweet smell of grass fills the peaceful afternoon. 

Suddenly they pause, looking up at the sky. For a moment, the expansive horizon is clear and then, a glint of sunlight hitting metal and the unmistakable shape of the Millenium Falcon appears. 

The children look to their mother who smiles and nods. The two turn eagerly, their mops of dark, wavy hair, sprinkling of freckles and hazel eyes are unmistakable. They dash towards the Falcon as it engages it’s landing gears. 

As they run, the light of the sun catches something hung around their necks. Two Kyber crystals. 

The boarding ramp lowers and a tall figure steps down then jogs out to sweep the racing children into his arms with a roar, twirling them around. They squeal with laughter. When he sets them down, they run back to the boarding ramp, looking up excitedly into the spaceship.

Meanwhile, Rey has reached them. She greets Ben with a beaming smile, the one he will never grow tired of, the one he will always answer with his own. They are a little older now, the lines on their faces a little deeper. They fall into a familiar embrace that never lessens with time. His arm goes around her waist as he pulls her close to him. Her hand reaches up to cup his face and their foreheads meet.

Time stops in that brief moment when two souls that are one reunite. 

Behind them, a small group of children of various ages have started disembarking and looking around, their steps hesitant, their eyes weary.

When they see Rey, their faces light up. They know who the Hero of Exegol is. Everyone does, but especially children like them, Force-sensitive orphans and scavengers. To them, Rey is so much more than a hero, she is hope. 

If she’s the Hero of Exegol, then that must mean he’s General Organa’s son. Their eyes widen as they take in Ben. They hadn’t realized who they were traveling with, they assumed he was a New Republic pilot. 

Before they can react to the two people who brought down the First Order, the dark-hair girl standing by the boarding ramp steps up, drawing their attention. “Hello,” she says, her expression is stern, but the secret smile shared by her parents belie her seriousness.“My name is Leia and this is my brother Luke.” She looks at her twin brother and gives him an encouraging nod. 

“Welcome to the Skywalker Solo Academy,” Luke says with a shy smile.

“Welcome,” Ben continues, “to your new home.”

“Welcome, to your new family,” Rey finishes.

[CUE THEME MUSIC & HAPPY TEARS]


End file.
